


Each Blossom a Hope...

by BlossomingDesire



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Humor, M/M, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-08-28 10:13:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8441764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlossomingDesire/pseuds/BlossomingDesire
Summary: The most beautiful gardens lie beyond walls of thorns, or so the saying goes. As the magic and mystery unfolds at the institute of war, an unexpected person finds her way past every single wall Zyra manages to grow. Meanwhile a plan is set into motion that seeks to unravel the very fabric of Runeterra. Will this group of champions put aside their differences long enough to stop the impending? Or rather will Valoran be again engulfed in a war without end?





	1. Such a busy world.......

Prologue  
Each blossom a hope, each hope a longing, each longing a wish to beholder belonging, for every flower must have its prime hour, for beauty only fades if its true, but destined to fade we must not sway, for each moment holds beauty to...

Sow the seeds of destiny, wait and let them grow, for throughout eternity you shall always reap what you sow, for this will always hold true, each blossom a joy, in benevolence we employ, an eternal promise to you....

For each passion inspires hidden desires, and sparks in the dead of the night, for each petal a fire darkened with desire, a new hope ignites in the light, for the petals they yearn for life's nascent turn, to embrace with joy the new world.....

Sow the seeds of destiny, wait and let them grow, for throughout eternity you shall always reap what you sow, for this will always hold true, each blossom a joy, in benevolence we employ, an eternal promise to you....

Each blossom a hope, each hope a longing, each longing a wish to beholder belonging, for life will never tire, no matter how grim or dire, for life's joy shall never truly end. For in a moment that we are we can rewrite the very stars, for love lasts an eternity if its true...

Sow the seeds of destiny, wait and let them grow, for throughout eternity you shall always reap what you sow, for this will always hold true, each blossom a joy, in benevolence we employ, an eternal promise to you....

 

  
Chapter 1: Such a busy world

A sense, a heartbeat, a song, a promise a hope. Fleeting visions flashed before her, for a moment she had forgotten where she was. "Zyra" the gruff voice called to her. "Zyra wake up". She opened her amber eyes and gazed upon the scene laid out before her. Ryze was sitting next to her, his blue skin almost iridescent in the dimly lit room. They were in the grand library of the Institute of War. Floating hextech lanterns illuminated the room in a pale yellow glow. Books, maps and all manners of reference to magic were sprawled across the table before the two mages. By this time of night they were the only people left in the library.

Ryze let out a heavy sigh, obviously disappointed with his helper. "I think we are done for the night" Ryze said in an accommodating tone. Zyra felt relieved hearing this as she closed the book in front of her. She had been helping Ryze with his work of finding runes for a little over a year now. She would read many of the old maps and books that were in the library. Often when she helped Ryze like this she would find details he had previously overlooked, usually leading him to collect the next missing rune. In exchange Ryze often taught her how to use many of the more benign, and commonly practiced magics he had found.

It worked out amicably for both of them. Ryze was not a social creature preferring to remain solitary in his work. Zyra arguably even less so, having only been in a human form for a few years now. She often thought that this was the reason he had allowed her to work with him. He needed a second opinion to help guide him on his quest, however with anyone else it might become overburdened with meaningless conversations and time-wasting explanations. Zyra's motivations were much simpler. She had read every book on both magic and horticulture she could find, and consulted with almost every mage in the league; so that maybe one day she could reestablish and maintain her now extinct plant species in the Kumungu Jungle. She needed to know every magic she could just so one day she would be able protect her species from a fate that had already befallen them.

As she got up to leave she paused to give Ryze a rather indignant look. He didn’t give me a lesson today she thought, feeling almost slighted. As she slowly turned to leave Ryze must have finally gotten her hint because he immediately called her back. "Zyra you have been such good help lately, here is the rune you have been practically begging me for" Ryze said wearily, adding a audible sigh at the end. As Ryze gave her the parchment a mischievous smile unknowingly crept across her lips. Ryze responded with an almost poisonous glare. "Now Zy-…" Ryze started, but she cut him off with a curt "Never worry my dear". The statement seem to pacify him for the moment, so with an amused chuckle she left the rune mage to his work.

As she exited the large oak doors of the library the cool night air pressed against her skin. The lone figure strode slowly south ward along the garden paths of the institute. As Zyra walked toward the residential buildings she reminisced on the last few years of her life, which had been the strangest by far. Memories of an old life came back to her gradually in fragments. Like ghosts of the sorceress who wandered into her grove, they tormented her. These visions, along with many of the new sensations of being human, often left her feeling conflicted. She still didn't quite understand what it meant to be human. All of it was a puzzle to be solved, and Zyra was just hoping to find the key to the magic and the mystery.

A mystery that maybe the mages in the library had the key to. This last year she had stopped simply staying in her room between matches, and had started visiting the library and working in the Institute's gardens. This is where she began her working relationship with Ryze. She wasn't exclusive to Ryze though. She often had conversations with Luxanna Crownguard. Lux was a very frequent visitor to the library, usually accompanied by Taric or Garen. Zyra found it strange how Garen often became testy when Taric talked to his sister. She didn’t dwell on it though, because thoughts of Garen usually came with negative emotions.

So instead she turned her thoughts to Elise. A being that inspired curiosity in her. Zyra had met her several times out in the gardens. The spider queen had an almost calming effect on her, not to mention her spiderlings kept the bugs off of her plants. Naturally they had become fast friends. However someone else often came by during Zyra's long talks with Elise, someone who only stoked this curiosity further. Emilia LeBlanc would come by on rare occasions. Most of their talks were brief, and often left Zyra with more questions then answers. This however, only made her savor their conversations more. After all how much more could there be to this world?

But what really piqued her curiosity most was something she could never see, but always felt. Many told her it was her heighten senses from being a plant. Others told her she was going insane, but she knew they were wrong. It was someone she felt, someone who wanted her...

By this time she had reached the residential building. She decided that it was late enough that she needed to use her special entrance. Zyra wandered to the back of the building where eventually she found what she was looking for. On a south facing wall vines grew from the ground reaching seven stories up to a roof top greenhouse, the pains of glass glistening in the moonlight. The plant lady looked over the vines intently. Further up she noticed large white blossoms on the vines, they looked radiant in the moonlight. "My someone has been busy" She gushed, "how ironic that my moonflower decided to bloom tonight". She reached up and grasped one of the thick vines as it hoisted her higher. When it reached the top she pulled opened the outside door to the greenhouse and stepped inside. As the vine returned to its original position she regarded her many plants fondly.

She walked from her conservatory into her bed room. Inside hextech lanterns burned with magic Lux had given her, giving enough light for her plants to survive. She entered her bathroom and decided to get ready for bed, it had been a long day after all. While Zyra was in the bathroom she heard a very faint but audible creak in her room. It wasn't the sound that stopped her in her tracks though; it was the presence. The presence she had felt so many times. The presence that had watched her while she read, the presence that had observed her while she was in the gardens, The presence that above all else wanted her.

As she left the bathroom she noticed that her door was ajar. She felt the presence it was next to her bed and slowly moving towards door, towards the hall way, towards escape. Zyra had decided she had enough of this silly game. She was not crazy and she had to prove it. With a quick motion she snapped her fingers and the nearest plant slammed the door shut. "Where do you think you're going?" Zyra shouted to the seemingly empty room. For a few moments she was almost convinced nothing was there, and then it happened. A slender figure materialized from the shadows, eyes an amber shade, clothing made from strips wrapped about her body. It was Evelynn in the flesh.

"Why are you following me?" Zyra asked always starting with the obvious questions. Evelynn pursed her lips seemingly caught at a disadvantage. After a moment she responded in a low purr "Because I find you entertaining". "Enter-…" Zyra began, but she was cut off by two things that were exceedingly unexpected. First, Evelynn had managed to close the gap almost instantaneously. Second Eve had leaned toward Zyra, her hand upon Zyra's cheek. Zyra was so close that she could feel the warmth of Eve's body. "I have waited so long for you, but not yet" Eve whispered into Zyra's ear. The words sent Zyra's mind into a tailspin. It was something Zyra had never felt before, something mysterious, something human. She felt a deep need bubble up from inside her, a longing for something physical, a longing for something lustful. At the same time something didn’t feel quite right. She was about the berate Eve, but they were interrupted by a loud crash from the hall way. Zyra pushed Eve aside and went to investigate, even though she already knew who it was and what had happened.

It was like clockwork every week. This would happen every single week without fail. Why she had been placed between these two idiots she would never know. Everything was fine for Zyra and her housing arrangement until last year when the Ionians finally pulled together enough power to make an executive decision. Before last year all champions and summoners were secluded to wings of the residential building based on faction. The Ionians had decided to randomize the setup for everyone except those like Zyra and Lissandra who needed special arrangements. It was supposed to promote 'harmony and diplomacy' or so they said. Well this left Zyra with no harmony, and made her the diplomat between Garen and Darius.

She opened the door to find Garen and Darius at it again. Shards of glass littered the floor. Darius's knuckles were bloody as he held the Demacian by the collar out the window. She called out to them, flabbergasted at their brashness. "Darius stop you know there are repercussions for killing someone off of the rift don’t you?". Darius growled back at her "Fuck off plant bitch". Zyra remained clam at this remark after all she still didn’t understand this silly conflict of nations. "You do realize the consequences for Noxus could be quite severe" she responded, following it up with an amused chuckle. Something in this statement got through to the Noxian since he released Garen. "I'm not even close to done with you yet" Darius snarled as he walked to his room and slammed the door loud enough for every person in the residential building to hear. Both Zyra and Garen let out a sigh, hers of frustration, his of relief. "Thank you" Garen began but Zyra cut in on him angrily. "You had better get to bed before I think of a worse fate for you". And with that she returned to her room, she would have to find someone to fix the window in the morning. Ryze might know a spell or two, she thought.

She reentered her room to find Evelynn on the far side of her conservatory. "As for you-" Zyra began, but she was cut off by Evelynn's maniacal laughter. "See just like I said you're entertaining" Evelynn chided. On that note she disappeared out of the green house door, an evanescent shadow vanishing into the night. The human longing Zyra had long denied was brought to the surface by this one being. Zyra collapsed onto her bed and only one thought occurred to her as she drifted off to sleep.  
Such a busy world...


	2. The night is my veil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my ravid readers! I know its been awhile but i have a nice long chapter for you today! Its more then twice the length of the last one. Enjoy.

Chapter 2: The night is my veil 

 Morning came to The Institute of War, radiant and shining in the light of dawn. Sunlight drifted through the windows of the residential building like any other day, all except one window on the 7th floor. This window stood gaping and bloody from the events of the previous evening. In Zyra's conservatory her plants were soaking up the new day's sunlight, happy as could be. Everything was par the norm. It could have been any other day at the institute except for two things. The first thing amiss at the Institute was the fact that Noxus and Demacia had a match today. The second thing that was wrong was in Zyra's conservatory and its name was Evelynn. 

 Eve was positioned at then edge of Zyra's room, gazing from stealth upon Zyra's sleeping form. Evelynn was contemplating exactly what she should do. After all she had revealed herself last night when she hadn't meant to. Solutions came and went in her mind and she couldn't decide what course she would take. _Kill Zyra? No_ , Eve thought, her mistress will be displeased. Not to mention that Zyra was one of the few she actually enjoyed watching. No matter how much Evelynn thought about the situation she always came to the same conclusion. She would have to take Zyra to meet her mistress, there was no way around it. 

 Evelynn remembered when she had first laid eyes on Zyra. Eve had been tasked by her mistress to follow the plant woman from the moment Zyra came to the institute. Eve remembered how the magic filled the air around the plant woman, how tantalizing it felt. For the last few years every moment Evelynn spent near Zyra had left her fantasying about what could be. The innocent flower had unknowing planted the seed of temptation, and like all of Zyra's seeds it took root and grew. Now that very temptation was soon to bear flowers. Funny how innocence always finds its very own way of attracting sin. 

 Zyra awoke from her dream and stared at the ceiling for several moments. Her dreams where often bits of a past life slowly coming back to her. She remembered a woman in this dream, a tall one with red hair and amber eyes. A sadness came with her face, a feeling she hadn't known before. Zyra decided to push that emotion away. Rather she tried to vaguely remember the events of the previous evening. The rune Ryze had given her, Evelynn's tantalizing touch, the fight between Garen and Darius. The rune! She hadn't had time last night to use it. Zyra almost jumped out of bed but, froze half way up as a feeling finally registered. She was back again. Evelynn was there and Zyra knew it. 

 Zyra looked at the doorway to her conservatory, knowing exactly where Eve was. "You can come out now Evelynn I know you’re here" Zyra said quietly from the edge of her bed. Eve slowly appeared from the shadows, her clothing some how managing to be revealing, inconspicuous and ravishing all at the same time. "Well you're no fun, little flower" Evelynn chided, acting more amused then anything. Zyra was standing now ready to confront the woman who had been stalking her for these last few years. She gathered all of the courage she could muster, huffed up and ready to strike a commanding tone. Evelynn, however had different plans. 

 In a dark frenzy of motion Eve had closed the gap again, disappearing only to reappear right behind the plant woman. Evelynn had placed one hand on Zyra's waist and another on the side of her neck. Yet again the assassin was poised to whisper more temptations into Zyra's ear. "You have put me in quite the predicament, my flower" Eve purred, a note of poison in her voice. Zyra was frozen in the moment, lost in ever more longings that she hadn't felt before. She could feel Evelynn's breath on her neck as Eve continued. "Revealing myself to you was not part of the plan, however it now may become advantageous for both of us". 

 "What do you mean?" Zyra asked, clearly intrigued by the statement. Evelynn rapped her fingers on Zyra's shoulder, sending visible shivers down Zyra's spine. Eve pulled away quickly. "Then its settled you shall meet my mistress." Eve let out a small chuckle as she finished her statement. "Your Mistress?" Zyra inquired. Evelynn turned back to Zyra giving her a longing look. Despite her expression, Eve struck a vicious matter of fact tone, "you will meet my mistress. I will come to retrieve you after the match today. You may not know it but this is no ordinary match between Noxus and Demacia, it will decide everyone's future here". Walking away, Evelynn added one final statement that was both visceral and playful "I will see you later my flower!"  

 With that statement Evelynn left through Zyra's conservatory, just as she had the night before. Just as the night before she left Zyra with a mixture of confusion and desire. Above all else though Eve had left the plant lady with more questions than answers. Who was Evelynn's 'mistress'? Why did she feel this way about Eve? What was it about her that inspired such a desire? What did she want from her? Zyra came up with an answer to her last question, but thinking of it left the plant woman thoroughly disheveled. Why of all things did she want _that_ from her? 

 A ray of clarity pierced Zyra's muddled thoughts. She moved over to her bedside table, remembering the rune Ryze had given her. She opened the parchment and looked at the magical symbols inscribed within. Oh how long she had waited to use this particular spell. Eagerly she got to work inscribing the parchment's contents onto the wall next to her bed. A simple and commonly used transport rune was what it was. Ryze often used a more advanced and less static form of this magic to move himself and others around the rift. Zyra had needed help with this particular rune because it was unique. This particular bit of magic would form a portal back to where Zyra had come form, back to the Kumungu jungle. She spoke the words Ryze had given her and stepped through the portal to the jungles. 

 The warmth and humidity struck Zyra immediately as she reached the other side. She found herself in a tropical forest clearing, but not just any. This particular clearing was where Zyra had lived as a plant for many years. The same clearing where a sorceress had perished to give Zyra her body. This was the place in which she had lived for a time before another mage form the league had found her. What luck that the rune would take her here, to the area in which Zyra had become something else then just a plant. 

 Zyra walked slowly and cautiously toward the center of the clearing. Everything appeared just as she had left it those years ago. She walked across the grass to where the honey fruit grew. Next to her was a bed made of living plants twisted together. Zyra reminisced on her first days in human form and how these two things, the honey fruit and the bed, had sustained her while she learned of her new abilities as a human. The plant woman took some honey fruit and laid back on her bed. It felt good to be home, she thought as she took a bite. Just a normal day in the forest or so it seemed. Despite her initial feelings, Zyra was soon to learn that things aren't always what they seem. 

 Zyra decided to rest for a few moments, after all she had been busy lately. Eventually she decided that her work took precedence and that she needed to attend to the forest. The rise of thorns wandered from the clearing admiring the dense vegetation as she went. Once she found favorable locations Zyra spread her seeds freely throughout the jungle areas. When she stopped it was mid morning. As she found her way back to the clearing Zyra remembered she had a meeting with Lux today. Zyra decided to hurry back through the portal and collect a few things before she went to meet Lux. Her room greeted her as always, thankfully minus Evelynn this time. 

 Once back Zyra gathered the books that she needed for her meeting with Lux. The plant lady also packed a number of plantlets in her bag. She had been growing these seedlings for a long time. Lilies were what the plants were, a longstanding favorite for both Zyra and Elise. Zyra was looking forward to finally getting these into the garden. She decided to take the normal way to the library, and check to see if the window was fixed. Once out in the hallway she was dismayed to see that the window hadn’t been fixed yet. _Maybe Lux would know a few spells?_ The plant woman thought to herself. As Zyra turned to walk down the hallway she noticed the two doors next to hers. Darius's door stood just as pristinely as ever. 

  Garen's however... 

 Blood red paint dripped angrily from the front of Garen's door. Although it was messy, splotchy, and crude it was clear to anyone that it was meant to be Noxian crest. The person who had painted this obviously hadn't taken the asperity of the wooden surface into account, making the symbol even more unsightly. _A bad mannered prank? A personal attack? An_ _attempt_ _at demoralizing the great_ _Demacian_ _before a match?_ Thoughts swirled through Zyra's mind, but in the end she came to one conclusion. Her hope was that maybe Garen hadn’t seen it yet. Maybe if she got done with her work in the garden early she could rush back before the end of the match today and clean the mess up before he saw. Zyra knew that Garen would immediately blame either Darius or his brother regardless of who actually did it. That of course would lead to yet another fight. Zyra picked up her pace, she wanted to get her meeting with Lux underway as soon as possible. 

 

-o- 

 

Zyra entered the library at a brisk rate and quickly found Lux at a table in the back. They where situated next to a window and the sunlight poured in to illuminate the lady of luminosity. Lux was reading a book about elemental magic when Zyra sat down, both mages looked thoroughly disheveled. The tension between them was bristling for several minutes while they sat in silence. It became apparent that neither of them wanted to break the silence. In the end Zyra knew that there was too much to be discussed for this to go on much longer. The plant lady inhaled and was about to speak but then lux began. 

 "Thank you Zyra for what you did for my brother last night and all the nights before..." Lux said, her tone both filled with melancholy and relief. This comment had Zyra shaking in rage. After all how could she have any idea how taxing is to babysit those two? The sleepless nights, the broken windows and the fights always kept her on edge when Darius and Garen were around. Zyra decided to try to contain her anger and let lux continue. In the end it was the lesson on magic that mattered, because it would allow her to reestablish her plants and explore the world. "and I'm sorry. I know Garen has the tendency to be exceptionally stubborn at times." Lux finished sounding tired and regretful. Zyra accepted her apology. In the end the plant woman felt she was more a victim of circumstance then anything. She guessed that the Institute's arrangement worked for most of the champions, primarily because they where away most of the time. As for Garen and Darius being, the generals of their respective nations meant that they were always at the forefront of the conflict, and the forefront of every nations conflict was now the institute of war. 

 Zyra, as angry as she was, had chosen to try and make the best of the current situation. She was going to do her absolute best to prevent another fight. "Do you know any spells to fix the window from last night, or take paint off of doors?" Zyra asked awkwardly. Lux's preceding "Why?" Was followed by an explanation of the Noxian crest that had been painted on Garens door. Zyra explained if she managed to fix it quick enough maybe she could stop another confrontation. Lux took a moment before responding. "He had a match today so I didn't see him this mourning. Judging from what you said I would say that he would have most likely saw the crest as he was leaving for the match. Well I don’t think it will prevent another fight, but having someone clean that mess up wouldn't hurt either." Zyra sighed, of course her efforts would be in vain. So instead she continued her meeting with Lux and asked her what conflict the match was supposed to solve today. After all if it was minor, Garen might blow it off rather than picking a fight. 

 So with this idea in mind Zyra asked what conflict the match was supposed to solve today. Lux began her long and tedious explanation. Apparently today was the end of a long series of matches between Noxus and Demacia that would end a conflict over an area near the base of the Ironspike mountain range. The area held several of the major mines that produced valuable metals and the crystals used in hextech. The conflict had escalated with the first series of matches ending in a draw. It had gone so far in fact, that both nations had wagered other highly contested areas near Morgan pass and Kalamanda. Lux concluded her explanation with how important it was that Demacia won today. The whole of the hextech industry that Piltover and Zuan relied on would be changed overnight by the victor today, and that’s why Demacia really needed the win today. Well according to Lux... 

 Zyra's heart sank as she heard this. The plant woman didn’t understand these silly conflicts between nations. _Why cant they just share and be happy with what comes_ _their way? That’s how plants solve conflicts after all,_ Zyra thought. Why hate someone for having different opinions or motivations? Plants simply offered their abundance to all creatures; they simply had to choose to take it.  To her it all seemed like a strange and unnatural cycle of conflict that always resolved negatively for both sides. Regardless of her opinion, Zyra knew that this would not be a loss that either side would gracefully shrug off. She wasn't sure of the exact importance of Kalamanda, or the Ironspike mountains, but she knew this would lead to a fight between Garen and Darius. This wouldn't be another small fight Zyra had to break up either. She knew that if anything, this would be a big one. 

 After Lux had decided that the political matters were settled, they continued with today's business. Today Lux was helping Zyra research elemental magics, something that Lux and become somewhat of an expert on recently. Lux had Zyra look through the book that she brought with her. Both mages went through various energies and incantations that are involved with each of the ten elements. They concluded with light, the one element Lux was most known for. 

 After they finished with the magical jargon Taric came over and struck up a conversation with Lux. This was quite a common occurrence. Usually whenever Lux came to the library she was accompanied by a few people from Demacia. Her entourage typically consisted of Garen, Taric or both. They only started coming to the library with her because Leblanc had come over so speak to both of them once. In their minds Zyra guessed that they where watching for enchantments and alike from the deceiver, however Zyra thought that Taric had slightly different motivations. Zyra listened in on the conversation between Taric and Lux. She noticed that the comments today where exceptionally flirtatious. Zyra came to the conclusion that this must be due to a absence of Garen. These matters of human desire puzzled her. It became obvious to Zyra that she needed to ask someone, and judging from the tone of Lux's conversation she had found someone to ask.   

 So after Taric left Zyra mustered her inner courage and resolve. She was out to get answers, and wasn't going to hesitate once she found them. So Zyra decided that she was going to start by explaining the situation. "Someone has been stalking me what should I do?" Zyra started. Lux gave her an inquisitive look for a moment before finally responding. "Who?" Lux asked the obvious question. Zyra hesitated, her former confidence waning at this point. Despite this she responded before she could stop her self "Evelynn". At this one word the entirety of the already quite library fell silent. Lux's tone of voice dropped to a deadly whisper as she responded. "If you have met her then you are lucky to be alive. If she wants anything from you its best for everyone if you give it to her. Do not seek her out again, and if anything don’t get involved with her and her 'mistress'. You're best off to forget we ever existed to begin with". 

 With that flurry of comment Lux stormed out of the library, Leaving Zyra with a book on elemental magic, and hundreds of questions. What exactly did Lux mean? Wasn't Eve just another champion that acted as a pawn to other nations interests on the rift? The plant woman had wanted nothing more then to find out about the strange eccentricities of human desire, but rather had been swept up in something completely different. She felt as though she was being pulled away with the tide, and the distant shore where she would arrive was bound to be brimming with uncertainty. 

 

-o-  

 

Outside of the library some time later Zyra and Elise sat at the base of large oak tree. The tree was wrapped in vines that Zyra had grown on it. The spring sun was exceptionally warm today, and having finished their work they had retreated into the shade. They where on the garden path that leads from the library to the summoning chambers. The pair of mages had just finished planting Zyra's lilies, and Elise's spider lings where trying to hunt for insects in the new plantlets. Zyra Idlily leafed through the pages of the book Lux had left her. Elise was intently examining her spider lings as they caught their prey. Both mages appeared to be thoroughly exhausted. 

 They both relaxed for a few minutes before Zyra asked her question. This time, however,  she had decided to leave Evelynn completely out of it and ask in a more direct fashion. "What do you humans do to deal with your," Zyra hesitated before continuing, "your more private desires?". This prompted an amused chuckle form the spider queen, causing Zyra in turn to blush a very deep shade of red. "Well all humans have certain means of sating themselves." Elise responded, intensifying the blush in Zyra's cheeks. Seeing this made Elise laugh even more. "But I suppose you aren't asking about simple masturbation, are you Zyra? This involves someone you like doesn't it?" Zyra nodded, Elise always seamed to get what Zyra meant, even when others jumped to conclusions or misunderstood the plant woman. 

 Elise paused in thought for a while before continuing. "Hmmm its fine Zyra you don't have to tell me who if you don’t want to", Elise said. Zyra felt relived hearing this. After the last incident where she mentioned Evelynn she didn't want a repeat experience. "Then what do I do?" Zyra responded. The simple and blunt question as always. Elise looked upward at the blue sky before giving her answer, seemingly lost in thought. "Well you don’t exactly as you say 'deal' with or desires so much as you choose to deny or accept them, and then once you accept them, you have the choice of weather or not to embrace them." Zyra took sometime to consider this before she caught Elise looking at her with a wide smile on her face. "What?"  Zyra asked. "Well isn't it obvious" Elise began, "We have to find out if they like you too!" Elise finished brightly. "No please don’t-" Zyra started but Elise cut her off in a thoughtful tone. "Look Zyra in the end this is your choice so do what makes you happy. Just remember, that in the end, no matter what desire always wins, for to deny one desire is really only to embrace another." Both the mages sat quietly. Zyra contemplated all she had just heard. _What do_ _i_ _really want form Evelynn?_ She thought. Zyra eventually came back the same more troubling question: _Why do I want that form her?_  

 Zyra's thoughts where interrupted when she saw a figure she despised heading towards the summoning chambers. It was Darius dressed in casual red clothing, an exceedingly normal color for a Noxian. As he drew close to the tree Elise got up and went over to talk to him. Zyra figured out what she could from a bit of the conversation she over heard. Apparently the match had just finished and the champions where due back any minute now. Demacia had won the match by a narrow margin. Darius was on his way to retrieve his brother Draven. Draven, of course, was notorious for all the trouble he often caused both before and after matches, especially close ones. Zyra listened as her gaze shifted down the path. Her eyes locked on the person coming form the other direction, because he was sure to cause a scene. 

 Garen was walking towards them from the summoning chambers. He was clad in his full armor and uniform bearing his sword in hand. His head was hung low, even though he had won the match, he must have taken to vandalism to his door harder then expected. His demeanor completely changed when he saw Darius. With a triumphant roar he surged forward poised to split Darius in two. Elise dived out of the Demacian's way and hit the grass at the side of the brick path. Meanwhile Zyra stayed clam and stalk still. Zyra whispered a few words under her breath as Garen had halfway closed the gap between him and Darius. 

 There was a loud clang of a sword meeting the pathway. The vines from the overhead oak tree had reached down and pulled Garen upwards by the ankles. The Demacian general was now upside down facing Zyra and the others. Zyra's vines went even further, now thoroughly constricting Garen's movement. Darius had apparently seen an opening for attack in Garen's immobile form. He pulled a simple dagger form his clothing and advanced on Garen. "Ha! Plant bitch is on my side today!" Darius said in a triumphant tone. He brandished the dagger now just a foot away form Garen. Zyra got up, book in hand. _Who does he think he's dealing with?_ She thought. She laughed manically. "Darius you forget that I am never on anyone's side." Zyra said as she moved closer to the pair. "So what?" Darius retorted, gaze still fixed on the immobilized Garen. Darius seemed to be oblivious to the vines that were wrapping themselves around him and deftly paralyzing his movements. 

 The sound of a dagger hitting the pathway rang through the gardens as the last vine wrapped around Darius's mouth, effectively gagging him. "Be quite my dear, after all you failed to notice your own entanglement" Zyra said. She was surprisingly happy about the situation. _Its time for some fun._ She thought. She had her new elemental magic and she was going to use it. _Maybe I could set them on fire and regrow the vines later, after all it would be fun to watch them both burn.  Maybe that would finally teach them their lesson._ Zyra moved with intention, closer to the two she had captured and immobilized. Elise looked onward in suspense.  

 Zyra opened the book and held out her free hand. The pages of the book flipped of their own accord until they landed on a page filled with flame markings. She began to whisper the ancient words, and the whole area seamed to darken. They could all feel the magic ripple through the air. But... 

 Nothing Happened. 

 The four of them where all silent for a while, until Garen broke the monotony with a very heavy sigh. Garen had helped his sister study magic before we went off to the military He knew quite a lot about the magical arts. Not to mention his whole family had varying degrees of magical ability. Garen just didn't practice enough to do the amazing things his sister could do with magic. After all he had only ever had use for a few of the practical spells like passive healing. 

 "Zyra were you trying to set us on fire?" Garen asked. Zyra was embarrassed now, she did her best to hide the book behind her back but to no avail. Garen had realized the specifics of the mistake before she did. "Zyra you mispronounced the word for 'fire' the word you actually said means 'passion'." All three of them turned a deep shade of fuchsia. The awkwardness of the situation was compounded by the fact that both of the men Zyra had captured were positioned so that their faces where only a foot away form the each other's crotch. 

 At this point both Zyra and Elise burst out laughing. Zyra walked over and helped Elise to her feet. As they began walking away Zyra over heard Garen mutter something. "You just had to put the 'rise' into someone's 'thorn'." Both the mages burst into even more laughter at this remark. Zyra glanced back as Elise began to speak. "You shouldn't just leave them there at least do something so others can use the pathway." A sly smile crept across Zyra's lips as she made a gesture toward her vines. The vines pulled the two men upward and wrapped them together in a horizontal position. "Now people can use the path and they have some time to get to know each other!" After a few more witty jokes and bursts of laughter both mages left to continue their day. 

 

-o- 

 

Zyra returned to her room and noticed that both the door and the window hadn't been fixed yet. She was about to open the door she felt it again. Eve was back and it set Zyra on edge. Evelynn materialized from the shadows near the window, a twisted smile graced her lips. Eve must have been happy to see her perfect 'Flower' again. "So my flower, are you ready so meet my mistress?" Evelynn purred. "Of course." Zyra responded. She was hesitant, of course, but she knew this was coming, so she followed Eve none the less. So the two walked the halls of the residential building. They walked downward towards the basement, until they came to a large oak door at the end of a long hallway. The door opened for them and they walked into the darkened room. Everything was still until a rosy voice rang out and pierced the darkness. 

 The owner of the voice was none other then the deceiver herself, Emelia LeBlanc. "So the plant woman has come to see me at last, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Zyra was hesitant. If past conversations had told Zyra anything it was to be on guard whenever Leblanc was involved. "What do you want from me?" Zyra responded. "Why that’s simple," Leblanc said, "you have a problem and I will help you get rid of it." Zyra took a moment but decided to take the chance. "Splendid! You have a deal." Leblanc gave Zyra an inquisitive look. "Well in that case you and Eve have some work to get to." Evelynn was the first to respond. "Of course mistress, as always the night is my veil." Zyra of course still had questions. "What do you mean exactly?" She asked. "Well you will see in time. Just remember this: remember just how close hatred is to Love and how obsession binds them together." Leblanc responded. Zyra called out for her to wait but, it was to late both of them had already disappeared. 

 And with that they both vanished into the darkness, leaving Zyra more questions then answers as always.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading again. Fun botanical fact for you. I have Zyra plant lilies in the garden because they appear to be the closest real world thing to Zyra's plants. If you look closely at Zyra's thorn spiters and seeds the flower parts occur typically in multiples of six. Not to mention that the plants themselves appear to be mono-cots so that would land them in the Lily family. Anyway hope everyone had had a great thanksgiving holiday and thanks again for reading. Oh yes and if anyone knows how to fix the weird double note thing let me know.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone thanks for reading the first chapter of my fic! Im going to put a huge shout out to noxian taco here the last chapter of in another lifetime is what inspired me to finally write this, even though i have had something in the works for awhile now. I you haven't read that its really really good he single handedly turned Dar/Gar into my new OTP. It comes highly recommended, and i hope you all have a great halloween if your still up to read this by the time i post it. <3<3<3 
> 
> Im planing on releasing 1-3 chapters every month until im finished should be somewhere between 10-20 chapters have my plot laid out through chapter 7 at this point!


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